Two Shoes

Tracklist

Sly

If frisy hair was a metaphorfor festival timethen this woman is a goddessof that festival shrine, met her - at a jam in that garden of sortsI must confess god blesssome impure thoughts“show us the money”was the call of the nightbut no money could have boughteven a piece of her pride, there might have been a sea of peopleI don’t know, becauseall I could seewas how this woman she glowed so-Aeh it’s a pleasure to meet youya look like one incredible creaturewanna treat you finelets dance and grindget so funk-inflicted it’s a crimeyou’re divine you’re sublimeand well you blow my mindShe caterpillar so goodthat all the greeks go “killa”break and enter take ya like a glass of milkthen “spill ya”saw her coming what a scenewhat I mean isshe got that sex coffee beambut she tastes like vanillawell alright she ignitewhen we hit the floorlike the vroom on a V8 super commodorenow if it makes a good story well it’s just worthwhile with her’s like dealing storiesin that sprinkla style and so-Aeh it’s a pleasure to meet youya look like one incredible creaturewanna treat you finelets dance and grindget so funk-inflicted it’s a crimeyou’re divine you’re sublimeand well you blow my mind

In My Pocket

I’ve got a keyAnd a piece of paper in my pocket deepIn my pocket piece of paper and a keyas I wander through the streetWar is there a waror is there isn’t a war anymore?Somebody told me that nothing is for sureCan you hear the ocean roarOn each street is a treeIn the distance the desert sleepsSometimes a sigh is a songAnd a breath is a melodyOceans rise and oceans fallSo just what does tomorrow mean?I give smile a give a songFor one moment’s eternityNa na na na na na na na na na naNa na na na na na na na naNa na na na na na na na na na naNa na na na na na na na naOh but it’s some mobSome mob that brought me here I know it is my jobTo seek my fortune Nanna thank you for this mobRemember you now you are goneIf I went awayTropical island somewhere sunny every dayBut everyone I ever cared about remainedWould I tan or would I fade?So every morning he wakeSpend his day at the daybreakAnd every spoonful he takeBe of something his own makeMountains rise and mountains fallSo just what does forever mean?I give a smile I give a songFor one moment’s eternityCHORUS

Lullaby

I cannot say ‘oh sweetness’like he couldand I cannot play a lullaby like it should I’ll give you all night movie marathonand a triple expresso so you can stay awakeit might be late - butit’s never too late for that lovinmy sexy babeI used to cry but now I have to laughbecause she’s got that torment to a fine artsmart like a foxyand craf-ty-as-a-cati’m looking up as i’m lying on my backbite the beastif i want a big piece of the piebut she’s taken the feastin the blink of an eyeI can-not-jus-ti-fywhat’s going on- it feels so rightwhen it seems so wronglike a plot hatched in the sweet spot of that trap- ask what she’s schemesshe say ‘oh this and that’then she snaps like a camera in black with a flashputs the drum in the dramathe hand in the clapshe’s a map with no bearings attached - no safety-in-this-matchfire you can’t catchthen zap I was struck by that bolt before dawnthen by breakfast honeywe was signed and swornI’ll give you all night movie marathonand a triple expresso so you can stay awakeit might be late - butit’s never too late for that lovinmy sexy babesomething always telling me ‘save prayers before dawn’cos what happens when I’m with youmakes me shake my head then smile and yawn I’m worn out but I’m beamingand it seems that we are dreamyas we head out through that strange old morning doorThis game is no gamebut it’s played all the sameand I love it evenif it makes me derangedit’s like tears in the rainburning spears in my braincause me pain sometimes make me drained but I cannot complain - mad the ugly good and badhad some happy with my sadand some tricks in my bagwhen it’s up run a mucklike a bull that just buckedwhen it’s down it’s a dragand you fight with no partner to tag - at times I would dive in the seato escape from the rising and crashing maleadrink tea with a fat fishand find a golden key then rise to the surfaceand open my baby and maybe she’d say ‘we are crazy’the two of us together like melbourne weatherbe like balls in a maze see we rolling along in obcuritybut when we meet in the middlesay mmm it’s a treat I’ll give you all night movie marathonand a triple expresso so you can stay awake- it might be late butit’s never too late for that lovinmy sexy babesomething always telling me ‘save your prayers before dawn’cos what happens when I’m with youmakes me shake my head then smile and yawn I’m worn out but I’m beamingand it seems that we are dreamyas we head out through that strange old morning door

I used to laughbut now I have to crybecause today my baby tell methat it’s time to say goodbyeask her ‘why what did I do?You and me we were so sly’then she sigh ‘that’s truewe were slinky through and throughbut it’s sad and it’s setI get high then I get depressedand I guess when we’re togetherit’s that happy kind of stress’touching left right down kiss my finger I reply‘I can’t deny you were the bestand by the best I mean the mess you madeI must confess I nevermet-a-more sexy maidthat smell like meso bless your wayward waysand loving craze and crazy daysand things you’de sayand looks you madeyou’re not the queen of heartsyou’re the queen of spadesand you’de take my breath awayany day that wayso anyway is this the end?Is this the fifth act of the play?I kissed her then I turned and was about to walk away when I sense a little tinglethat begin down from belowthen I hear her with a whisper‘you’re the most gullible man I know’

The Car Song

The weekend is the weekendAnd it’s sunny in the parkI’ll stay here with my beer and fish and chips till it gets darkI’ve got a lot of homeworkBut homework he can waitI never start my homework till its already too lateMy parents say think about your future and my teachers say the sameBut it’s hardWhen there’s a basketball game in the parkIt’s 1998 And everybody’s saying:“Harry, you’re going to be a lawyer some day…”It’s Monday bloody MondayAnd there’s two things I forgotI forgot to do my homeworkAnd I’ve only got one sockI’m halfway through a testBut I just can’t concentrateI’m sitting next to FontaineI want to ask her on a dateI really want to start a conversationBut each time she walks pastI start choking on my pencilAnd fall flat on my assI need to concentrateI have to get this gradeOr I might fail to be a lawyer somedayBRIDGEBut just right nowCan’ think of anything better to doThan just sit down at the piano and a write this tuneAnd maybe later Maybe later in the afternoonI’ll sit back and relax And think of all the things I’m going to do…CHORUSSomeday…I’ll buy an old carSomeday…I’ll get that car to startSomeday…I’ll learn how to drive tooAnd then Someday…Imagine all the things I could do.(That was 1998 nowBring it forward to the present day nowCause some things have changedbut some things never change)The weekend is the weekend And it’s sunny in the parkI’ll stay here with my beer and fish ‘n’ chips till it gets darkI just saw Peter ParsonsWho used to be in my classI always gave him wedgies cause I thought he worked too hardHe said, “Harry, life is great – I feel so happy these days –I’m a litigation lawyer – So I got it madeI’m going out with Fontaine Rememer her from tenth grade?I drive a Porsche so I can’t complain…”BRIDGEShit! And look at me can’t think of anything better to doThat just sit down at the piano and write this tuneAnd maybe laterMaybe later in the afternoonI’ll sit back and relax and think of all the things I’m going to do…CHORUS

Two Shoes

One day one woman asked him ‘what do you to survive?’he said ‘oh my dear listen here’and this is what he criedOn my feet I wear two shoes for dancing‘dancing to be free’my feet they’re paying tribute to the Bobby Marley legacyMy knees they’ve got some cuts and bruisesfrom skating all my dayswhen i’m skating with my friendsmy troubles drift awayI say my legs they’re wearing baggy pantsI like to move around cos getting down and jumping upthese are some good things that I foundAeehhhiiiaaaaaboom shak the empire be risingAeehhhiiiaaaaaboom shak we making some lovinAeehhhiiiaaaaaboom shak the greedy men runningAeehhhiiiaaaaaboom shak got two shoes for dancinMy waist it’s got a slinky beltwith a clip that’s quick to openbecause loving is the sweetest thingand from my waist it happenAnd my stomachs got some tasty foodthat’s making me feel goodcos sharing some meals is somethingi wish the world could doAnd my chest it wears a singletah my chest it beating proudmy chest suggest I am a manthat no institution can knock downAnd around my neck is superstitionhanging from a chainbecause i’ve got my gods but in the endI make my own wayCHORUSMy mouth it’s got a great big smilethat shows some great big teethto friends it brings a happinessand to enemies it means defeatAnd my eyes they’ve got some visionthat can see through many liesah my eyes they look for better thingsthe better things to see in lifeAnd my ears are wearing head phonesthat do play my favourite songsnot music i’m told to likebut the songs that make me dance alongCos on my feet are shoes for dancing‘dancing to be free’my feet they’re paying tribute tothe bobby marley legacy

Miserere

Do you ever look aroundturn your ear to the groundshow your face to the skyon a night when the skies echoe soundsfrom inside of your mindon the stage that you shonewhere the sun did become youand move with your thoughtsthrough the sighs and the scenesof the worlds you have seenand the sights that have beenyour reflection in shadows and dreams?- your reflection in shadows and dreamsDid you ever see a manwho did walk down the streetwhite robe with no shoes on his feetand on top of his head place a box with two slitsand the sign from his neck said ‘I do not exist’or a woman who could not remember her namedid stutter and stutter again and againand saw you and called you her son her eyes said‘my being is gone but still I’m not dead’?MiserereHave you ever seen a soundhave you listened to an imagehave you ever touched a thoughthave you ever tasted nothinghave you ever told a liethat was true more than truthbecause truth it had liedall its life when it spoke to you?And what did it sayit is that it is thisthis goes here here is thereit is not yes it isit was dulling your sensesyour eyes they were boundhave you ever my friendsbeen looking around?And the other replieswith a wave of a handI am already here in this promised landbut not by a god and not by a kingand not by a spiritdeep from withinI am here because a miracle’s a whimit’s a flash of gloryit’s an empty tinand maybe might lets you innot to save youbut to keep on looking-Miserere…Have you ever been so happy that you’re sad?that the lights turn to stars and the stars become eyesand hello’s are goodbye’sand the laughs are the sigh’sand the show disappears with the note‘until next time’Long live livingif living can be thisLong live livingif living can be thisLong live livingif living can be thisLong live livingif living can be thisDo you ever look aroundturn your ear to the groundshow your face to the skyon a night when the skies echoe soundsfrom inside of your mindon the stage that you shonewhere the sun did become youand move with your thoughtsthrough the sighs and the scenesof the worlds you have seenand the sights that have beenyour reflection in shadows and dreamsDo you ever look aroundand find what is yet to be found?

Sol y Sombra

Party Started

CHORUSIt wasn’t hard…To get the party started(harry’s verse)Chillin at the clubPimpin with my money(Well actually, my parties are more like)Chillin in the sunWith tea and milk and honeyTea and lamingtonsThat’s my idea of funBut I do enjoy the odd occasional bottle of rumAs we learnt in the songs that I have previously sungWhen its done with fruit juice at a barbecue in the sunIf the afternoon is begun with kangaroo and capsicumI do eat meat but I don’t like killingSo don’t crash my party while I’m sitting back chillingMy oh my why oh why are people so violientI ain’t trying to be a lion I extend my allianceTo anyone who likes to just sit back and chitchatMaybe have a jam, spit scats and eat biscuitsBefore you know its midnight and you’re running through the moonlight And you realise…CHORUS

Protons, Neutrons, Electrons

I’ve done too much of some thingsAnd not enough of othersJust like all life loversI’ve changed and changed and changed and changedFrom one thing to anotherI’ve had complicated dealingsWith complicated feelingsAnd I’ve cut and bruised and tornI made blinds on the windows of my mind with the time that my back once woreI’m a single person in this universeAnd I am here to say to you:On the day that I die I’ll just give a smileAnd fly into the blueCHORUS(Cause we’re all just)Protons, Neutrons, ElectronsThat rest on a SundayWork on a Monday and someday soonWe’ll be singing the old tunesZip-a-dee-doo-dah, Zip-a-dee-dooI’ll be sitting on the porch with youThen I’ll die and I’ll fly off into the blueSome night I see the world with its winds and its whirlsAnd I feel undefeatedBut every day I see the girl with the strawberry curlAnd I’m too shy to meet herSome nights I go to bedThere’s a ghost in the air above my headAnd I trembleSometimes I eat KFCOther times I give up meatAnd I just eat lentilsI’m a singe person in the universeAnd I am here to sing a songAbout the day that I was bornTill the day that I’ll be goneAnd the song won’t last for long(Cause we’re all just…)CHORUSAnd enemy is a remedy to a malady in your melodyIf you’re strong not brittleAnd a friend is a friendIs a friend to the end and it’s oh so simpleA man is a man and a woman is a womanBut the times we are living in demand That a man can change from a man to a womanAnd a woman can demand to be a manWe’re just flesh with socks and locks and frocksAnd I am here to say to youOn the day that I die I’ll just give a smile and fly into the blue(Cause we’re all just…)CHORUS

Saltwater

I’ve got the clouds on a stringThat I pull with my little finger elegantlyWhat is this oh what’s this music on the breezeIt sounds like all my holidays when my father used to say:‘Let’s go down to the beach’And we’d go down to the beachMy little sisters and meSometimes a man can feel like he is just a puppetAnd the wind blows him here and blows him thereBut when I kiss you my dearI feel like a buccaneerAnd water makes its music everywhereCHORUSSaltwaterOh how I miss your misty kissesSaltwaterOh what expressionless blissIs this?I’ve got the sky in my eyesAs I lie on my back in the deep blue seaWhat is this oh what could this strange feeling be?It feels like: It feels like:It feels like:I don’t know what it feels likeBut it feels rightSometimes a man is like an icecream in a desert And he wonders what is it we seek?Like water runs through your fingersMemories rise up from the deep.

The Night That Never End

One night when I was sleepinga gypsy lady sneak into my headand she said‘I’ve got a bottle of schnappslets get to know each other drinkinga belly full of laughsand some thoughts that beyond thinkinglet’s play a game of those cards my friendbecause tonight I’m going to show youhow the night it never never never ends’Morning is one thousand dreams awayand our expeditiontelling us to stayso stay we will we’ve got that gypsy ladyperched upon our bowand the empire ship be headingwhere the wild ones they are nowoh how the gods look down and frown at those who never stood said‘my name is no-one’then went a little madAnd from time to time she sneaks back inside me and she say‘lucky sing the secrets that I taught you always’replied ‘as long as I am livingI never forgetthat the sun is never shining and it never set’so let’s make some fire and smoke and thenwe’ll go exploring in the night that never never never endMorning is one thousand dreams awayand our expeditiontelling us to stayso stay we will we’ve got that gypsy ladyperched upon our bowand the empire ship be headingwhere the wild ones they are nowoh how the gods look down and frown at those who never stood said‘my name is no-one’then went a little madI’ve got a tingle in my backand something sparking in my toesI get the shivers through my bodywhen that trumpet blows and while asleep I am awakeand while awake I am dreamingbefore I start to thinkI am schemingto start a party tonight my friendsbecause tonight I’m going to show you how the night it never never never ends1001Parking Inspector- just made my list of one thousandone thousand and onebut ah Parking Inspector… Went to my friendswhen I found a fine beatcos I like to play a rhythmwhere the rhythm plays meplay it all day on a balcony above the street where old Franky and me weshuffle with our feet And old man Goergietakes some sugar with his teawhen he’s stirred by a melodyof hands moving easyyou see it reminds himdreams by the seawhere the breeze blows underneath that island treeAnd we played til the playing Gave us the munchiesthen we played in the kitchenmade the easy gods happycos we left them a little chilli-special and some chocolate we eat because it’s sweet when I leave I am smilingat the things I haven’t doneoh I haven’t broke a sweatand I haven’t had to runfor the list of one-thousand -and-one that does plague me on some dayswhen the sun rays don’t comeParking Inspectorjust made my list of one thousandone thousand and onebut ah Parking Inspector[won’t let you wreck my fun]When I get to my carI am faced with a sightthat is strange and it’s sadand it’s mad it’s not rightthere’s one thousand and onespaces free but I seethat he find me guilty of the time over feeNow I know why my motherwhy my mother warned mesaid ‘you might be lucky but know nothing comes for free’ she is right - entirely cos the ticket paid the songthat I sing to this beatParking inspectorjust made my list of one thousandone thousand and onebut ah parking inspectorwon’t let you wreck my funcos when I pay for my ticket I won’t curse and despiseno i’ll run into the girl with the slinky blue eyesthen my list of one thousand and one will remain I had plans to get it donebut now my plans they have changedParking Inspectorjust made my list of one thousandone thousand and onebut ah Parking Inspector‘just listen to the bass and the funky drums’Parking Inspectorjust made my list of one thousand grow a little morebut ah parking inspectoryou won’t believe what I sawon the back of my ticket with invisible typewas a map to the place with one thousand delightsand a key that was one to thatspot by the sea where the breeze blows underneath that island tree

1001

Parking Inspector- just made my list of one thousandone thousand and onebut ah Parking Inspector…Went to my friendswhen I found a fine beatcos I like to play a rhythmwhere the rhythm plays meplay it all day on a balcony above the street where old Franky and me weshuffle with our feet And old man Goergietakes some sugar with his teawhen he’s stirred by a melodyof hands moving easyyou see it reminds himdreams by the seawhere the breeze blows underneath that island treeAnd we played til the playing Gave us the munchiesthen we played in the kitchenmade the easy gods happycos we left them a little chilli-special and some chocolate we eat because it’s sweet when I leave I am smilingat the things I haven’t doneoh I haven’t broke a sweatand I haven’t had to runfor the list of one-thousand -and-one that does plague me on some dayswhen the sun rays don’t comeParking Inspectorjust made my list of one thousandone thousand and onebut ah Parking Inspector[won’t let you wreck my fun]When I get to my carI am faced with a sightthat is strange and it’s sadand it’s mad it’s not rightthere’s one thousand and onespaces free but I seethat he find me guilty of the time over feeNow I know why my motherwhy my mother warned mesaid ‘you might be lucky but know nothing comes for free’ she is right - entirely cos the ticket paid the songthat I sing to this beatParking inspectorjust made my list of one thousandone thousand and onebut ah parking inspectorwon’t let you wreck my funcos when I pay for my ticket I won’t curse and despiseno i’ll run into the girl with the slinky blue eyesthen my list of one thousand and one will remain I had plans to get it donebut now my plans they have changedParking Inspectorjust made my list of one thousandone thousand and onebut ah Parking Inspector‘just listen to the bass and the funky drums’Parking Inspectorjust made my list of one thousand grow a little morebut ah parking inspectoryou won’t believe what I sawon the back of my ticket with invisible typewas a map to the place with one thousand delightsand a key that was one to thatspot by the sea where the breeze blows underneath that island tree

Two Shoes was recorded in Havana Cuba, at the famous Estudio Egrem where legends such as The Buena Vista Social Club, Irakere, Ruben Gonzalez and many others have found themselves recording. This album was made the old school way, playing live in a room over the course of 28 days in Nov/Dec 2004.

Produced by Jerry Boys, Felix Riebl and The Cat Empire, it is an album we are proud of, one which survived food poisoning, blackouts, freighting hundreds of kilos of equipment across the world, and many other stories which will all be revealed in time. We are proud of it, and hope you will enjoy...